When you’re frustrated, it can feel as if you have no control over anything and everything is in turmoil. It’s difficult to know where to start. It’s tough to think clearly when you’re overcome with emotion. When such feelings arise, how do you calm down and learn to manage them? What do you do first? Most health-care employees are frustrated right now because they are dealing with PPE shortages, inadequate workplace support, and an apparently inattentive general public. Anger and frustration aren’t always beneficial feelings, and while we can’t always choose whether or not we experience them, we can choose how we respond to them. If you’re looking for a healthy approach to let go of some pent-up negative energy, try the following tips on how to cope with frustration:
Table of Contents
1. Recognize the frustration
According to Dr Shatté, “we’re really adept at becoming emotion detectives.” For you, what are the first bodily signs? Most people experience frustration as a combination of anger and anxiety, as evidenced by an accelerated heart rate, red face, or clenched teeth, as well as restlessness and agitation.
Because our emotions are fed by our thoughts, the next time you feel worked up, attempt to trace it back to the triggering idea, “I don’t have what I need.” Consider your sensations of being frustrated as a red flag waving in your mind. “You can’t have that emotion without having some type of thought,” Dr. Shatté explains.
2. Relieve the stress
This will help to prevent your mind from racing, which is common at the outset of an anxiety-inducing circumstance. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways. One thing you can do is work on your breathing. Take five deep breaths in and out. Inhale gently through your nose, hold for five seconds, then slowly exhale through your mouth. Another technique to relax is to close your eyes and concentrate on a relaxing environment, such as a beach or a forest.
There are various things you may do to feel better if you find yourself losing patience, becoming more frustrated, becoming more emotional, and becoming less able to handle stress. Managing your stress, along with strengthening your tolerance for annoyance, is a crucial aspect of staying healthy.
3. Rectify Your Attitude
Our regular thought processes and how we process the environment around us have a big role in whether or not we perceive something as stressful. People who regard things as under their control, for example, are less bothered about what occurs to them because they know they can always modify things.
Optimism has health advantages and can improve one’s overall well-being. Learning how to cultivate an upbeat attitude and a resilient mindset will help you feel less stressed. Make a choice and stick with it. If you vacillate back and forth, you’ll revert to frustration. This is one of the most challenging and crucial aspects in the process.
Take action based on your selection. Take action once you’ve made the decision to find a solution to your difficult circumstance.
4. Lifestyle has a deep impact on your thoughts
If you’re constantly on edge, it’s conceivable that something in your life has to change. You’ll deal with less overall stress and be more effective at managing what you do encounter if you cut back on responsibilities, take care of your body, and make other healthy lifestyle changes.
Stress can be reduced by eating well, sleeping well, and exercising regularly. Making time for leisure activities and artistic expression is also important; downtime is not only a luxury, but also a crucial component of a balanced lifestyle, and creative activities can help artists and non-artists relax.
Regularly engage in stress-relieving activities that are appropriate for your personality and lifestyle. Those who walk, meditate, or engage in other stress-relieving activities on a regular basis report feeling less stressed in general and being less reactive to specific stressors during the day.
5. You can do the spit test
This test is divided into two sections. Gather saliva in your mouth first, and then swallow. Now collect your saliva and spit it into a glass, swirl it around, and imagine drinking it. “They’re not the same, right?”
“The idea is that when something becomes a part of us, we accept it. However, once it is outside of us, it loses its ‘privileged’ status. We presume our thoughts are true while they rattle around in our heads. We can reassess once we get them out and look at them.”
When you get those thoughts about a lack of resources out of your head, they’ll almost always sound a little empty. Then you might ask yourself, “What do I have right now in front of me that I can utilize to try to solve this problem?”
6. Draw your Social support
Sharing your problems with close friends, family, or loved ones can also provide relief and support. While it’s not healthy to constantly moan, venting your frustrations to a trustworthy friend (and repaying the favour by being a good listener) might help you analyse what’s going on and come up with answers.
If you don’t have somebody with whom you feel comfortable sharing your problems, seeing a therapist or beginning a regular journaling practice can help.
7. Mindfulness in the key
The practice of mindfulness involves being fully and nonjudgmentally aware of the present moment, observing the sights, sounds, and odours around you, as well as your own feelings and experiences. Mindfulness can be practised throughout the day or as a type of meditation.
Staying mindful is an important part of dealing with frustration and stress because you must be aware of how you’re feeling before you can take action. Mindfulness also enables you to maintain an attitude of acceptance rather than resistance or judgement, which can help you deal with frustration more effectively.
Choose one or two items that are most effective for you. What matters is that it’s something you can concentrate on for a few minutes that isn’t upsetting you. Taking a mental break is the same as clearing your head.
Remember that irritation, like all sentiments and emotions, isn’t bad. It’s a strong emotion that might act as a warning sign that something requires attention. This sensation can embrace and contain a variety of intense emotions. Anger, anxiety, perplexity, discouragement, and a sense of defeat are some of these emotions. Rather than escaping your displeasure, these ideas can assist you in resolving it.
What are your thoughts on this?
Also Checkout: 10 Most Inspirational Songs Of All Time